Jensen/Dual In-Dash dvd review

[$lick Rick]

I posted this on another forum a week or so ago, figured i might as well post it here too for anyone looking for an inexpensive video setup for their car

Since my avic-n2 decided to take a crap on me i've been without video in my car, which just isnt working for me.

So I bought a cheapy screen to get me by till after the holidays.
It retails for $400, was on sale at circuit city last week for $300, $330 this week, and through a chain of events i got it for $100 brand new and still sealed in the box a few days ago

it's the Jensen In-Dash Multimedia Receiver (UV7i)
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Jense...oductDetail.do



it supports the "usual" formats, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-DA, MP3, WMA, SVCD, VCD, MPEG1, JPEG and MPEG2 and It comes with the cables to hook it up to your ipod... but i hate ipods so that does me no good. It does play my mp3 dvd's which was very important to me


the picture quality of the 7" screen is on par, nothing spectacular but for the price it's very liveable. 7/10

the EQ has the basics and allows you to adjust the output frequencies, it also has sub control, the EQ is liveable as well, but sub-par 5/10

installation was a breeze, it's an all inclusive unite so there's no external modules or control boxes to mount in adition to the screen. i had this installed in about 30 minutes from the time i opened the box to the time i was snapping the last piece of the dash back together. the installation instruction booklet is very thick, but it remains in the packaging... who needs instructions? 10/10

the build quality actually seems pretty decent, no wobbles, creaks, or sticks.... but it's not as "solid" as some of the higher dollar pieces out there so 6/10


overall i'd give it a 7/10
if you're looking for a decent screen that's easy to install and wont break the bank, then this is the unit for you. If you've got more discriminating tastes, then this wont "do it" for you :lol:

I'll be upgrading after the first of the year, but in the meantime this will do it's job just perfectly.

a few P.O.I.'s

it has outputs for external monitors and inputs to hook up your playstation/xbox if you'd like

also, the sub output is a single RCA, so you'll need a Y adaptor. 1 male / 2 female ends

[SWRX]

thanks for the nice review...I'm in the market for an in-dash dvd player also...I've look at both the Jensen VM9411/9511, both have lots of features...but I've read that these have issues with not being able to read the dvd/mp3's....I'd buy it now if somehow I could be "certain" that these won't crap out on me...I know nothing for certain with these electronics, but $400+ is not "little money" to me...thanks for the review....hmm...u think u can hook a brotha up for a great price??!!!

[DalTrum83]

If you have a cartoys near you, they are selling the Eclipse 5435 Navigation Unit (no pop up screen, always open in dash) for $799. You might want to check availability, they were going fast. They look amazing in the car, matches perfectly. They have dual ports, one DVD (for navigation maps) and on CD (for music). I havent read a single bad review (Crutchfield, epinions, bestbuy.com). They also have a pretty sweet factory warranty. Just though I would throw that out there.